ARTICLE

Artist Philip Noyed is forging a bold new direction in expressionist art

Bright colors and distinctive forms leap off the canvas in a dynamic orchestration of energy and texture.

You find yourself caught in high voltage compositions - pulled in by the extraordinary range of mood and character. Then, you discover the story behind the work, the idea that is explored.

Each painting is a revelation of the human spirit. A powerful modern Mandala that reveals more to you the longer you spend with the work. Signs and symbols abound in a complex dance of action and reaction.

Multicultural story telling

Philip's work traverses many cultures and ideas. Philip has lived in state of Minnesota for most of his life. He lived in Japan for three years and studied hand-made ceramics, calligraphy and classical Noh Theater performance while living there. He was the first American to perform on the Tokyo Noh Theater stage. He has traveled to museums throughout Asia, Europe and North America.

His paintings reflect this cultural wanderlust. Stories range from Sol Invictus and the fall of the Roman Emporer Aurelian, a Terracatta Warrior from the grave of the Chinese emporer Qin, Tibetan Buddhism, Kundalini, to an exploration of the archetypes of the mind using a combination of Christian and Islamic elements.

Philip's paintings, however, are not a travelogue of postcard images. Rather, his works are primarily concerned with broad ideas of philosophy, myth, religion, physics and dance. These works reveal a semiological surveyor combining symbols in often unexpected ways. Philip also writes commentaries and poems that further elaborate on the concepts portrayed in the work.

Philip finds an affinity with abstraction because of the ability of abstract art to push towards a universal language.

Ch'i energy

Philip is influenced by the Chinese idea of Ch'i energy. Ch'i energy forms the unifying element of the work. In essence, all areas of the canvas - form, color, plane and brush stroke - are dynamic Ch'i energy fields.
The aim of the painting is to bring to life the Ch'i energy/spirit residing in each and every form while finding the harmonic balance of all forms (including "negative spaces") in the painting. For him, the classical idea of realistic depiction is less important than capturing the emotional spirit he intends to portray. Form is the result of concentrated energy of the painted brushstrokes and color; together these create the emotional intensity of the idea.

Exploring the musicality of painting

Ideas of musical composition influence the visual structure and tempos of Philip's paintings. Powerful visual themes and contrapuntal themes are heightened through the use of chromaticism and carefully balanced harmony of forms and colors.

Philip is a proponent of the living brush. His brush strokes further articulate the musicality of the piece through the manner of applying paint to the canvas. From strong, long lines to short, staccato strokes to luscious vibrato brush strokes, each adds a voice to the overall composition.

Paintings often take on musical themes such as his Nocturne series of paintings, Heart of the Sunrise: Arpeggio Amplified, Toccata: Kundalini Rising, Fugue: < = >?, Self and Muse Freeing the Firebird from the Suite, and Jupitor 41: Mozart's Vision.

Form, Noh Dance, Yoga

Form has been a central focus for Philip. His study of Japanese Noh theater taught him how to recreate dances developed in the Muromachi period (1336-1575) and passed down from generation to generation. Each posture and motion in a dance is symbolic - the Noh fan can show cherry blossoms gently falling to earth, hide a shy face, be a rope pulling a treasure ship to port, or become a sword brought down swiftly and smoothly. The idea behind the dance forms influence how Philip creates characters in his paintings.

Philip practices Vinyassa Yoga. Yoga is the union of body and space, breath and motion, balance and exertion, mind and body focused on the present, unified in the moment, realizing the beauty expressed in a form. The asana, poses, create lines of energy rooted solidly on earth and rising towards the heavens. For instance, triconasana, The Angle posture, has energy reaching from foot through the leg to side and up through the outstretched arm and leaving through the fingertips. Philip finds that the practice of these postures influence the balance and perspective of forms in his drawings and paintings. He is captivated by the power of lines of energy flowing - and his paintings exalt in energy fields. While painting is a static art after the painter "completes" the work, Philip loves the active energy provided by dance figures in his works.

Yoga has helped Philip understand the richness of experience when eyelids are shut and yoga poses are performed based on feel of the body moving in space unified with the prahnic energy of breath. While he has not taken a life drawing class, Philip creates the figures in his work based on his memory of forms.

Philip shows his works online at his ARTzeal.com web site and at selected galleries.